Ivan Toney is banned from FIFA 23, though EA’s rationale for the decision has some fans accusing the publisher of double standards. EA removed Toney from the sports game after the Brentford player after it came to light that he had bet on his own team to lose multiple times, violating the Football Association’s betting rules 232 times since 2017.
Toney received a six-month suspension from the real-life game. Whether EA plans on this being a permanent ban is uncertain, though some fans think it’s ironic that EA would ban someone for breaking betting rules, when, they say, FIFA 23’s FUT mode encourages a form of gambling (thanks, TheGamer).
You build your teams with player cards, which you get at random from card packs. You can sometimes find a specific card for sale on the in-game market – if you’re willing to pay a few hundred dollars for it. Buying packs until you get a player you want or even a quality rating you need, however, can often cost even more money.
“FIFA literally promotes gambling to children,” one user wrote on Twitter.
Ironic isn’t it..
Removing a gambler from their game but not a game mode that encourages gambling?
— Generic FIFA (@GenericFifa) May 27, 2023
“The cheek of EA to take a moral high ground on gambling,” another said.
Fifa literally promote gambling to children. This whole thing is so fucking pathetic https://t.co/gT9RhzpxAC
— Luke (@Lukedutchh) May 27, 2023
Granted, Toney broke the association’s rules, while EA’s practices don’t violate any laws or regulations – unless you live in Belgium. EA previously banned other players from FIFA games after they broke laws or faced serious criminal accusations, so Toney’s ban is in keeping with their usual practices – sort of. Other players, such as Joey Barton, who assaulted a teammate in 2007 and has the shadow of other violent controversies looming over him, are still in the game.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF